Wells Lake (January 12, 1772 – November 26, 1839) was an American farmer and politician from New York.
Wells Lake was born January 12, 1772, in Stratford, Connecticut, the son of David (1733-1800) and Sarah Wells Lake (1742-1803). Through his mother, Lake is a direct descendant of Connecticut Governor Thomas Welles. It is unclear when Lake moved to New York, but it was there that he met his wife, Ruth (née Hine) Lake (1782-1827), and married her in 1801. Ruth's brother, Reuben Holmes Hine, was the New Paltz Town Supervisor in 1842 and a New York State Assemblyman in 1844.
He lived in that part of the Town of New Paltz which was separated in 1845 as the Town of Lloyd, in Ulster County, New York.
He was a member of the New York State Assembly (Sullivan and Ulster Co.) in 1820-21; and (Ulster Co.) in 1823
He was a member of the New York State Senate (2nd D.) from 1825 to 1828, sitting in the 48th, 49th, 50th and 51st New York State Legislatures.
Separated by his terms in both New York State branches, Lake served as the Supervisor of New Paltz from 1818 to 1819 and 1821 to 1824.[1]
In 1834, he served as President of the Ulster County Jackson Republican Convention.[2]
He died on November 26, 1839, in New Paltz, and was buried in the Highland Cemetery in Highland, New York.
Wells Lake and his wife Ruth had at least 11 children:
His son Stephen served as the second Town of Lloyd Supervisor from 1849 to 1851. Stephen's brother-in-law, Reuben Deyo (1800-1864), had served as the first following the Lloyd split from New Paltz (1845-1848).
His daughter Ruth married John Benson Schoonmaker (1810-1895), and they named their son Wells Lake Schoonmaker, after Ruth's father. Wells L. Schoonmaker served as the Town of Marbletown Supervisor from 1884 to 1885. Another son, Hiram Schoonmaker (1836-1910), married Josephine Chambers, daughter of physician, Supervisor and State Senator George Chambers.